Follow The Leader
by Crumbs-Not-again
Summary: Roy mustang was left in charge of his sister's children after the death of her and her second husband. He must abandon them to fight in the war torn country of Ishbal, dragging Edward and the rest of his team along for the ride. Full summary inside Roy/Ed
1. Prologue: Lost

Okay then, full summary…

I have my own ideas of how Roy lost his eye, you'll see that soon enough, and this is also very very **very** AU…and everyone will be a wee bit OOC.

I kind of liked playing around with the idea that Roy has an actual family and not just that crazy brothel owning foster mother of his, so I created one for him. So obviously anyone who's name isn't recognisable is a creation of my own, mainly Roy's family.

Pairings will include RoyxEd, AlxWinry and possibly JeanxRiza (I just think that's sooo cute)

Disclaimer : I own nothing of FMA, if I did, Roy would have done sinful things to Edward long long ago!

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Their pitiful fire did little to suppress the cold they were feeling, nor did its soft glow bring any comfort to those who sought warmth beside it. It was their only source of heat in a place that was almost as unbearably cold at night as it was hot in the blistering sunlight.

Roy Mustang gazed wistfully at his reflection in the broken shard of glass he held, he hadn't shaved in over two weeks and his eyes were hollow due to a lack of sleep. But this was not his fault, it was he after all who was responsible for the lives of his soldiers.

The dim light of the fire shone brightly in the surface of the glass and behind him he could see the reflections of the brave men and woman who were stupid enough to follow him into this hell.

He rose slowly to his feet and winced as the worn muscles in his legs protested greatly at this action. Carefully he made his way to the fireside and lowered himself onto the makeshift bed he shared with one Edward Elric. If anyone had told him barely three months previously that he would be civil to the Fullmetal shrimp, he would have laughed outright in their face and referred them to a psychiatric ward.

But they would have been right, not only was Roy perfectly capable of being civil to Edward, but he felt a strange affection for the presently sleeping blonde. He felt the need to protect him, although that was a feeling he extended towards every member of his often wayward team, not that you'd ever catch him admitting that to anyone.

Edward, however, was different. There was a time when Roy had been engaged.

She was a beautiful and highly intelligent young woman, who adored him an hung on his every word. His family loved her and she'd even managed to win over the infamous Riza Hawkeye, who greatly disapproved of all of Roy's previous 'relationships'. They had been together for three years and anyone who knew Roy was amazed that he hadn't sabotaged himself yet and had managed to hold together a steady relationship that was more than just a one night stand. However, a month before the set wedding date, the previously avoided subject of children surfaced. Maria made it perfectly clear that she never wanted to have any, and she broke his heart by doing so.

Roy knew that with his career it was highly impractical and impossible to have a family, but that didn't mean he'd never considered it. He had in fact considered the possibility of children many times, and hearing that the woman he loved refused to was the cause of many arguments.

It was after one of the arguments that Maria left Roy's apartment in a fit of rage. She was driving so late and the rain was so heavy and the night so black that she never had a chance of seeing the truck coming the other way. She was hospitalised and left in a coma, that eventually resulted in the doctors declaring her brain dead and switching off the machine. For two whole years, not a day went by that a young raven haired man was not seen by her bedside.

The funeral was a quiet one and in its aftermath Roy began what most who knew him called his 'Playboy Years'.

Then the Elric brothers showed up and changed that. Roy was very protective of the two boys and although he would never admit even in his drunkest state, he cared deeply for both Edward and Alphonse. He worried for them and looked out for them even when they were not aware of him doing so, just like any father would.

And even in the unforgiving desert of Ishbaal, there were no exceptions. Roy greatly resented his giving to Edward's pestering, and often thought to himself that if only he had had a little ore reserve, the boys would be safe back home in Ametris instead of sleeping in the middle of a war zone.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Edward rolling over in his sleep. He shivered and curled closer to Roy, tucking his head under the older man's chin and breathing in the all too familiar scent of sweat and cheap cologne. Roy smiled and wrapped an arm around the younger man's waist, drawing his closer still. Edward was freezing, the chill of the automail did little to help that, and there was scarce Roy could do for him except share the little warmth he himself had.

He was vaguely aware of the conversation Havoc and Feury were having. All he could pick up on was that they were discussing whether or not they would ever see home again.

"Trust me," Havoc was saying, "The only way we're getting out of here now is on a stretcher with a black tag."

Feury was growing more and more uneasy with each passing moment. Black Hayate must have sensed this for he moved closer to the pale man and nipped playfully at the hem of his coat. All Feury did was smile and gently push him away.

From somewhere to his right came the weary voce of 1st lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, "Havoc, stop being so morbid and get some sleep," to the pale man beside her she said, "don't worry, there's still a good chance they'll find us."

Havoc snorted and turned to the talking lump beside Feury, "Oh yeah? Face it Lieutenant, its been six weeks already, they aren't coming. I wouldn't be surprised if no one even knew we were out here in the first place."

Riza growled and rolled over, " Havoc, you can either keep quiet, or have a hard time talking for the rest of your life without your teeth…do I make myself clear?" Havoc's eyes widened and the cigarette he was chewing fell out of his open mouth. He quickly turned away to escape Riza's steely glare.

Roy laughed quietly as he pulled the blankets tighter around Edwards shivering frame, then he closed his eyes and prepared himself for yet another sleepless night.

Feury sighed, "I'm glad one of us finds it funny Sir."

Roy cracked open one eye and said as gently as he knew how, "Don't worry, kid. You'll be back home before you know it. Now get some rest." His only reply was a murmur of acknowledgement and he glanced over to where Feury had settled himself for the night.

He sighed almost inaudibly, Feury had the right idea. He closed his eyes again, but couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something he should be watching for, something that was preventing him from sleep.

He settled for looking towards the starlit sky, hoping that someone would find them soon….they were running out of brandy…

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So, I would appreciate any reviews xx


	2. Found

' …_I am, as you know, not at liberty to say what I have been doing, or where I am…but know this, I am coming home. We all are. _

_Edward and Alphonse wish for me to give you and Sophie their love, and Maes is requesting to know how 'daddy's little girl' is doing. _

_With any luck, we'll be back in Central by tomorrow morning._

_All my love, Roy '_

He smiled as he signed the letter, oblivious to the fact that Lieutenant Hawkeye was reading over his shoulder, curious as to whom he was writing to. It took her a moment to realise the letter's recipient but when she did, her smile mirrored his own. Then she whispered, "You forgot to give them my love as well."

He nodded and scribbled a quick P.S '_Hawkeye says hi'. _He tried not to laugh as he heard her indignant snort. He passed the letter down to Alphonse who slipped it into the safety of his armour, they would send it when they arrived at the next port.

They were found three days ago by a group of travellers, one of whom who'd agreed to take them to nearest military outpost in the back of his truck. It was a tight fit but they had managed it.

As Roy sat wedged between Riza and Maes, he looked at each of his men (and woman ) in turn, and thanked whatever God there may have been that they made it out in one piece. He vowed that as soon as he arrived back in central he would raise hell.

He lifted his hand to his left eye and picked at the bandage there, only to have his hand swatted away by his first lieutenant. He looked out at her from underneath his matted bangs, pouting softly. She sighed and reached out to gently unwrap the wads of cloth that covered half his face. He turned towards her as she did so, making sure no one but her else could see his face. She succeeded in removing the strips of bloodstained cotton and reached down into her sack, pulling out a small brown bottle. He moved away from her hand as she came at him with a cloth drenched in the foul smelling antiseptic, he hated this part. Putting a hand to the back of his neck to prevent him from pulling away she gently dabbed at his face, but her careful movements did little to ease the familiar pain. He realised that attempting to pull back only made it worse and so he reluctantly resigned himself to her ministrations.

As she tended to his wounds he distracted himself by allowing his mind to wander back to the village. It had been brutal.

_Smoke, thick and black, came belching from doors and windows around him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. He could smell though, the air was thick with the stench of sulphur and burning flesh. He could hear too, he could hear their screams echoing all around him, ricocheting of the walls like bullets and coming back to strike him down. _

_And that's when he heard it. A child. Crying. '__**One person**__' he swore to himself, '__**Help just one person**__.' _

_He crawled, keeping as low as he could to the ground, until he reached a low stone wall. He took a deep breath and hauled himself over it. _

_He felt someone grab his right shoulder. He panicked. Fingers poised. Ready to snap. He stopped. _

'_**Only Riza**__.' She was looking at him, concern evident in her amber orbs. _

_He heard it again. That terrible wail of a child in pain. He pointed to the building he thought it was coming from. She nodded and leapt forward, dodging rebel bullets as she frantically tried to reach the barricaded door. _

_A split second later and he followed. _

_They managed to break apart the wooden boards that separated them from their goal. They stumbled blindly into the small dark room. The thick stone walls around them trapped the heat like an oven. _

_They heard the cry again and blindly felt their way forwards until they reached another door. He pulled his foot back and the door was snapped in half by one well aimed, powerful kick. They started once they saw what lay waiting for them on the other side. _

_Not one, not two, but three terrified children were huddled against the wall furthest from them, one of whom wasn't moving much. How could he, the taught flesh that was stretched over his small frame to the pint of being painful had been peeled back where his knees should have been, all that was left were bloody stumps and shards of bone. _

_He resisted the urge to retch._

_She must have said something to him for a second later she was moving slowly towards the quaking forms, speaking in soft, soothing tones. _

_The eldest reached out to her and wrapped his sickeningly thin arms around her neck. She hoisted him gently into her lap and, seeing that he was settled, began inspecting the other two. _

_The middle child appeared to be female and she was presumable the one they'd heard crying, her grubby face was streaked with tears. Riza turned to him and shouted something, but he couldn't hear her over the explosions. _

_He moved closer to the small group, gathering from her vague hand gestures that she wanted him to take the disabled child and the little girl. The girl came easily enough with very little persuasion, but the boy cowered in fear and point blank refused to come anywhere near him. Riza huffed and handed him the eldest boy before reaching out to the younger one. _

_He came to her with no resistance, something that irked Roy to no end._

_They made their way outside through the back entrance, away from rebel gunfire, each hunching their bodies as much as they were able in order to protect their small charges. _

_There. Just over a rocky hill. Havoc's frantic waving caught his eye a spilt second before the man in the white cape did. _

'_**Run**__'_

_He frantically urged her to follow as he leapt over debris and fallen soldiers. The caped man was firing at them and he thanked whoever may have been listening that the man had a terrible aim and even fewer bullets than Riza, who, with a child tucked safely under her chin, was still a far better shot than he could ever hope to be._

_The man fell dead in the dirt in a matter of seconds._

_They reached the hill. The gunfire had subsided for now. Riza rested the disabled child near Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, who began checking him over for further injuries. Roy placed the weeping girl near Sergeant Kain Feury, hoping she would take some comfort from the mans reassuringly calm demeanour. She stopped crying almost as soon as he began speaking softly to her. He smiled. He placed the other boy near Maes as well, instructing his friend to check him over as well._

_This done he wiped his face on a strip of cloth and sighed. They were done for the day. _

_The air around him shifted. The last thing he saw with his left eyes was the glint of silver as the disabled boy they had carried from the raging inferno pulled a small handgun from within the folds of his cloak and fired at him with deadly accuracy. He fell to the ground and curled onto his right side._

_The searing pain wasn't enough to distract him from the sound of Riza's retaliation. _

_The frantic men around him calling his name weren't enough to distract him from the disabled child's lifeless eyes, as red as the pool of blood that was steadily growing around him, staining the soft white hair that sat atop his head like a halo._

_He retched and shuddered, unable to tear his gaze from the child's face. Blood was trickling down from the sizeable wound in his left socket into his right eye. He retched again and tried to blink away the thick, dark liquid. _

_He could feel himself rapidly losing his grip on reality, the world was growing darker but he kept his eye focused on the child's face._

'_**Not his fault.**__'_

_The noise around him dulled and then faded to nothing. The only sound was an incessant ringing in his ears. He tried to stay focused but he was failing. He was aware of being turned onto his back. Someone was trying to stem the flow of blood. Someone was shouting at him, he couldn't hear them but he tried to fight the darkness that was threatening to takeover his vision, he tried to focus on their lips. _

'_**Shit**__'_

_His world faded to black._

He awoke lying on a hard bed in the firelight surrounded by the worried faces of his comrades. When he had asked after the other two children he was rewarded with his best friend's stream of never ending apologies 'Oh Roy…I'm so… Oh how could I have missed the gun?' 'Oh Roy, I didn't think…I mean…he…he was only a child.' after the fifth apology he'd decided he'd had enough and demanded that they give him a straight answer as to what happened to the two non armed children. He knew the boy with the gun was dead.

After several moments of silence Riza ushered everyone else away from him. Then she made her way back to his pile of blankets and told him that the other two children had also been armed and so in the interests of security they too were killed.

He suddenly found himself too tired to care. He knew that some of the rebels were young, but he just hadn't expected them to be children. He just couldn't find it within himself to be particularly upset, after all, some of the rebels had killed some of his men.

A life for a life was all that was important to him at that moment.

Deep down he knew that he'd probably feel different in the morning, but he resigned himself to sleep, he welcomed it, knowing that when what had happened finally sunk in he would probably go without sleep for a long time. He had been right.

The next morning he refused to speak to anyone. He refused to eat, he refused to drink and his own mind refused sleep for him. That had been weeks ago and although sleeping was getting a little easier he was still plagued by images of the dead child's face.

But right now, wedged in between Maes and Riza, en route to Central and away from Hell, he found it very difficult to care. He was going home, and he was very glad of that…he'd run out of brandy.

'_**Very glad indeed.**__'_

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Okay, you know where the review button is! x


	3. Roy Mustang

Right, well. I'm off for summer now so I will be updating a lot more than I have been. no more exam stress means more time to write. I've only recently gotten my head around where this fic is going and I must say that I'm quite proud of this chapter, its the longest yet and is sort of like a little picture of Roy's family background.

Like I said, I have my own ideas about his family and this is very AU so don't kill me. I know riza and her father were estranged and riza and roy didn't meet until much later and i also know maes and roy weren't best mates at first sight but this is my story and ill do whatever i damn well please with it.

As always I own nothing and stand to gain nothing by writing this.

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Roy Mustang sat in his bed trying to judge the distance between his hand and the bed sheets, his favourite way to kill time since his recent loss of depth perception, they were always closer than he thought.

He heard a soft snore coming from his left and he turned. He reached out and let his hand run through her soft curls, as thick and dark as her mother's. He smiled as he traced the outline of her face, her father's chin, her mother's pointed nose. As the back of his hand ran across her slightly flushed cheeks her lashes fluttered and her dark eyes slowly opened. Her mother's eyes.

'_**Lucy.'**_

He shook his head and tried to shake her awake. She moaned quietly in response and turned her face into the pillow. He poked her side and smiled as she reached out for him. "Morning baby," he whispered softly. She giggled and hoisted herself into his lap, resting her head against his chest.

One of her favourite things to do was listen to his heartbeat.

He rested his chin on her head and wrapped his arms around her. One of his favourite things to do was hold his baby.

As they sat there he heard a soft knock on the door. A moment later another dark haired beauty popped her head around the door and smiled hopefully. He nodded his head in answer and she made her way over to his bed.

"Another nightmare?" she asked, pointing to the child in his lap. He nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Poor Sophie, she hasn't been sleeping too well since you got back. She missed you Roy, we both did."

He smiled and shifted Sophie so that she rested on one knee, then leaned over and pulled his newest companion into a hug. "I know, but I had hoped that with my being back in the house she would feel more comfortable."

The small child in his lap began to wriggle, so he removed his arms and let her turn to face him. She reached out her little hand and placed it over his ruined eye. At first he had been afraid of scaring her with the scars, but she quickly accepted them and he learnt that he didn't have to wear his patch around the house. He smiled, brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. She giggled.

Roy turned to the other girl beside him as she stroked her sister's hair. She was an exact copy of her mother, they both were. Lucy. His sister. His eldest sister.

Roy Mustang was the youngest child of five, and the only male. First came Lucy, an uncommonly kind and gentle woman. Then a year later, Beth, quiet and intelligent. She kept to herself mostly, but she bonded well with him as a child. Two years after Beth was Kate. He had never been particularly close to Kate, she was too arrogant in his opinion. Another four years later came Francesca, or Frannie as she preferred to be known. She was easily the most unforgettable Mustang girl. She was loud, colourful and officious.

When Frannie was five the Mustang family was graced with its first and only son. His birth was never discussed in any great depth, for if it had been under more fortuitous, he would have been a twin. Alas, there were complications and only one child was saved. The doctor had to make a decision, left or right. He chose left. Left was Roy. They named the child on the right James. He was buried a week later and rarely spoken of again.

Lucy took it upon her twelve year old self to care for her baby brother in the period of her mother's depression, the woman could not bring herself to look at the face of her child for more than a few moments. Roy had always been closest to Lucy as a child, and would continue to worship her as he grew older.

Over time it became easier for his mother to be around him, and despite the shaky start, their relationship did not suffer. When Roy was three he was helping his mother in the kitchen. She allowed him to sit on the counter top while she washed the dishes. His attempts at helping involved throwing the soapy water as far as he possibly could whilst aiming for the family dog. His mother didn't mind and found his antics quite amusing, the floor was in need of a clean anyway.

There came a knock on the back door, and through the glass Roy could see a tall man in uniform, holding a small boy around his age. His mother opened the door with a smile and hugged the tall man and kissed the small boy. With a little difficulty her curious son managed to clamber down from the counter and make his way to hide behind his mother's skirt. The tall man placed the small boy on the floor and it reached out a hand to Roy. He was thin and a little taller than him, with a thick mop of jet black hair and slightly askew glasses. His eyes were the strangest collaboration of yellow and green that Roy had ever seen.

He had been momentarily distracted by the boy that he had forgotten the man, who had led his mother over to the table and begun speaking to her in hushed tones. His musings on the boy were forgotten when his mother collapsed into her chair and began weeping. He rushed to her side and placed a hand on her knee in an attempt to comfort her.

He turned an accusing glare to the tall man who had reduced his mother to this state. The boy who had come with him placed a small hand on his soldier and said, "Don't worry, you can share my daddy."

Roy's father had been an officer in the state's air force. He hadn't always been around, but he had adored his only son. Roy had greatly respected his father. He was an affectionate but stern man. He was tall and bore no resemblance to his five children, all of whom inherited their Xingese mother's dark hair and eyes as opposed to his fair hair and blue eyes.

Roy's father had been flying over enemy territory as a scout, and his plane had been shot down. The tall man had been with him but had survived and had taken it upon himself to inform his friends family of his untimely death.

With the death of Roy's father came the birth of a beautiful friendship. The tall man's name was Robert Hughes, and the small boy was his son, Maes. In the twenty five years that followed Roy and Maes were never apart for more than a week at a time, they were as close as brothers, and Roy's mother had accepted Maes as an honorary Mustang and treated him as though he were her own.

But the death of his father signalled the start of some of the hardest times the Mustang family would face. They had never been a wealthy lot. His father and mother both came from old money, but his father had been disowned for marrying a foreigner and his mother had been disowned for choosing a foreigner over a man here father had approved of. They had moved to a small farm in the east of the country. His father joined the military and his mother resolved to stay a housewife.

Over the next twelve years they had been blessed with five children, but Harold Mustang's income wasn't large and his wife earned nothing. They managed as well as they could, but without her husband's income and her being unable to collect his pension until the day he would have turned sixty five, things became hard for Yanna Mustang and her children.

Her eldest daughter, being fifteen, married early and married well. Lucy left home and sent money back to her mother as often as she could. Her leaving broke her little brother's heart, who begged her to stay with him. She tried to take him along with her but her mother wouldn't surrender her baby boy for anything.

As it happens, with their increasing lack of money, Yanna Mustang could only afford to send two of her children to school. Beth, being clever far beyond her years had finished early and earned a small amount teaching in the city. It pained his mother to send her fourteen year old away, but they needed the money and Beth was more than safe with friends of the family who resided a short train ride away from Beth's employers.

Schooling itself became a problem for Roy, with his two remaining sisters being given preference in education, he was left to wander aimlessly around their small property. Kate, now the eldest in the house, thought herself superior in every way and didn't bother with her younger siblings, the age gap meant they had very little in common. She refused point blank to associate with a three year old. Roy was left to suffer as his youngest older sister, Frannie, insisted he be her guinea pig. She dressed him up in her old clothes, desperate for a younger sister for herself.

One day after having managed to escape from 'Frannie's Frills' Roy found himself straying along the dirt track that ran in front of the yard. He'd always wondered where it had led to, and with his mother busy on the telephone, he saw no reason why he couldn't explore it while she finished her important business.

Two hours later he found himself quite tired of walking and quite lost. He didn't have the energy to turn back and walk all the way home again so he sat down on a patch of grass near an old gate.

It took a whole ten minutes for him to realise that he was being watched.

Whoever it was had slowly been getting closer to him and when he heard the creak of the old gate as someone leant against it he stiffened and slowly turned his head, afraid of what he might find. He was accosted with a pair of large brown eyes that were surprisingly close to his own. He leapt backwards and fell in the dirt.

When he looked up again he saw that the eyes were attached to a blond headed young girl, not much older than him.

She was laughing at him.

Roy huffed. He did not like to be laughed at.

She saw this and her expression softened. She regarded him for a moment before she motioned for him to follow her. He picked himself up off the ground and walked with her through the gate. He then realised that he had been sitting outside someone's house all along. It was larger and grander than his own and the garden was full of flowers instead of vegetables.

The girl pulled him onto the porch and told him to wait on the swing. Then she ran inside and returned with a thin man whom she introduced as her father. Mr. Hawkeye was quite surprised to find the young Mustang in front of his yard, he'd always thought that Mrs. Mustang kept a tight leash on her brood. He announced that he would call her and inform her of her boy's whereabouts.

The girl led Roy around to the back of the house where there sat a line of tin cans along a fence. She picked up a stone and lobbed it as hard as she could at one of the cans. He was amazed and impressed by her deadly accuracy.

She handed him a stone and instructed him to do as she did. They spent the afternoon trying to correct Roy's appalling aim, but when Roy's mother appeared to fetch him he promised the girl to return when he could. His mother was busy apologizing to Mr. Hawkeye for any inconvenience her wayward son may have caused, but he assured her it was no trouble and that he quite enjoyed watching the lad. He invited Roy to come as often as he could so long as he remembered to tell his mother where he was going.

Roy enthusiastically agreed with this proposal.

As they were leaving Roy made to step over a plant pot that blocked the path to the gate, but he tripped and ended up on the ground once more.

He wasn't pleased to hear the girl's laughing but he was surprised when he saw her coming to stand in front of him.

Riza Hawkeye reached out a hand to pull him up and little did they know that from that day, every time Roy Mustang fell not only would Riza Hawkeye be there to help him to his feet again but she would do her best to make sure that he never fell in the first place.

Upon their arriving home again Roy was forbidden to leave the property for two weeks, but as soon as his punishment was over he made sure to visit his new friend everyday. He would walk to their house in the morning and Mr. Hawkeye would drive him home again in the evening.

It was during one of these runs that Mr. Hawkeye introduced Roy Mustang to the world of alchemy. Roy had found one of Mr. Hawkeye's notebooks in the glove compartment and began flipping through it before asking the man what the circles where. Berthold Hawkeye resolved to tell the young boy everything he knew about the basics of alchemy.

With this, Roy's schooling was no longer a problem. During the following years Mr. Hawkeye would teach Roy about alchemy during the day and his daughter would teach him how to read and write when she returned home from school. Roy learnt maths and English from Riza and all about science from her father.

Regular science bored him, he was much more interested in this 'alchemy' stuff and soon found himself the apprentice of Berthold Hawkeye. He was fascinated by the theory of alchemy and the power that came with the art, but what intrigued him the most was Hawkeye's own personal brand of alchemy, fire.

It was dangerous to be sure, but Roy was a careful and dedicated student, one whom Hawkeye had no qualms with teaching. Over the years he became quite adept at the art of fire alchemy and often entertained his sisters by creating small sparks and setting his mother's roses on fire. Kate thought the juvenile behaviour was beneath her, but it amused Frannie to no end.

It was only when they were in their early twenties that he and Frannie became close. She had been dating a man he never approved of, and his opinion was shared with the rest of the family. She had given up on trying to convince her family, and so had taken the next train as far away from them as she could get.

She was missing for the grand total of one week before Roy got a phone call in the middle of the night. He pulled himself out of bed, complaining about the indecency of some people, and answered with a groggy ,"What?"

The answer was rushed and not very clear, but he got a location.

Six hours later Frannie Mustang was sitting at a bus depot, shivering in the rain. A cough alerted her to someone's standing behind her and she turned around to see two hands, one holding a box of tissues, the other a steaming ginger snap latte. The hands were attached to a brother. A brother whom she had woken up in the middle of the night with her call. A brother who had pulled on a pair of slippers and a dressing gown and driven for six hours to find a soaking wet sister after she had been dumped by her shitty boyfriend. They had reconciled during the ride home and she had been welcomed back into the family with open arms.

Despite his sudden closeness to Frannie, no one would take the place of Lucy in her brother's heart. When he was ten years old she had given birth to her first child after being married for five years. It was shocking to say the least, that her rushed marriage had lasted, but it was necessity that drove them together and from that necessity developed an awe inspiring love. Roy was named godfather of his little niece and the newest addition to the Mustang family meant that Lucy frequented the house a lot more often that she had done. The child was named Jacqueline Heather Kane, but like Frannie she detested her name and went by Jack instead.

When Jack was fifteen her mother had another child, Sophie. She was doted upon by everyone in the family, especially by Roy. He adored the child and spent as much time as he possibly could with her.

When Sophie was six months old her father died in a car crash. Nine months later her mother and stepfather went the same way.

Roy's heart broke with the loss of his dearest sister. He had loved Lucy more than anything in the world. He took her two children to live with him to spare his mother the stress of having to raise them and little Sophie, who was far too young to remember her own father but was constantly told that Roy was not him, dubbed her uncle, 'Papa.' Jack, who was only ten years his junior and too old to refer to him as 'Uncle' anymore, simply called him Roy. Officially he was their foster father, and he took great pride in introducing them to people as 'his girls.'

The sound of a doorbell ringing broke Roy out of his reprieve. "Finally," he muttered, handing Sophie to her sister and pulling on his bathrobe before making his way downstairs. The floor was cold on his bare feet and he was hesitant to open the door and let any heat out, but when he did he smirked at the sight he was met with.

"Damn fucking bastard calling me out this fucking early and not even having the decency to open the fucking door…"

"Nice to see you too Edward."

'_**Very nice indeed.'**_

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Review if you please! x


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